Towersey Morris is a mens cotswold morris side, based in the village of Towersey near Thame in Oxfordshire, England.
The fantastic 2009 season for Towersey Morris should have finished, but the Side was out dancing again on the evening of Saturday, 24th October.
Not only had Towersey danced at Skamba Skamba Kankliai, the annual international folklore festival in Vilnius, Lithuania, where they were treated like rock stars, (by the crowds, not the police) they’d also performed at two major English festivals, Broadstairs and of course Towersey (where they’ve danced every year since they were founded).
Nineteen pubs had been hosts to the Morris as well as seventeen fetes and functions.
The Morris men decided to split £600 from their collections between MPS and the Multiple Sclerosis Trust. By tradition, they also donate 100% of the collections from their Christmas Mummers’ Play to these two charities, so their good works for the year aren’t finished yet.
The Mummers’ Play will be performed on Monday, 14th December, Wednesday, 16th, Friday, 18th and Tuesday, 22nd. Venues will be published on this website as soon as they’re finalised.
The Side will also be back at Cecil Sharp House again this year for the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Festival of Carols and Customs on Sunday 20th December, where they’ll be dancing and performing the Mummers’ Play.
Towersey has welcomed several new members during the year, both absolute beginners and experienced Morris men, but would like to welcome far more. The season just past was blindingly good fun: the friendships in the Morris are excellent: we only go to the best pubs: Morris dancing is at the heart of English tradition but is continuously evolving – in every sense a living tradition, and it’s excellent aerobic exercise, good for the entire body. Members of all ages are very welcome, but the younger you start, the easier you find it to learn, and the more airborne you can be (which is how Morris should be danced).
If you fancy joining the fun next year, just phone Tony on 01296 434079 or Andy on 01844 291173 and arrange to come and meet us. You don’t have to stay – but most people do.